Academic and Business Writing

  • Free to audit
  • Paid certificate
  • Course certificate
  • Beginner
  • 6 weeks
Provider
UC Berkeley
Cost
Free to audit
Certificate
Paid, $199
Level
Beginner
Duration
6 weeks
Effort
3–5 hrs/week
Format
Self-paced
Language
English
Subjects
Writing, English, Business
Source
BerkeleyX
Last verified
14 Sep 2026

Free access to the material ends after the course length; graded work and the certificate are paid.

Academic and Business Writing is a six-week BerkeleyX course led by Maggie Sokolik, Director of College Writing Programs at UC Berkeley, written for English language learners who need to produce formal prose. The course page describes a focus on grammar, vocabulary, structure, editing and publication, and its learning goals cover persuasive writing techniques and essay development, proofreading, self-editing, revision, tone and vocabulary, and stronger English writing and communication overall. edX marks it introductory and self-paced at three to five hours a week, with no prerequisites listed. The audit track is free and gives you the course material for as long as the run is active; graded work and the certificate are not included.

A verified certificate is available for $199. The course is taught in English with English transcripts. It pairs naturally with the same instructor's shorter How to Write an Essay, which covers sentence and paragraph basics first.

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What you’ll learn

  • Build persuasive essays with a clear structure and a well-developed argument
  • Proofread, self-edit and revise your drafts for tone, vocabulary and accuracy
  • Choose grammar and vocabulary suited to formal academic and business contexts
  • Write with greater confidence in English for university and workplace settings

Who it’s for

English language learners who need to write essays, reports or business documents and want structured practice in editing their own work.

Source: BerkeleyX (opens in a new tab) · Verified · Report a change

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